Ellefson hails ‘bold’ U2

Megadeth bassist defends Irish band’s giveaway stunt and credits them with influencing his work on Johnny Wore Black side project

Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson has credited U2 for influencing his work with side project Johnny Wore Black.

He's teamed up with Jay, aka Johnny Wore Black, for Walking Underwater Pt.2which launched last month. And the bassist says he drew on musical influences from outside the world of metal for the record – including U2.

He tells JoeDaly.net: “When we were first getting going with Megadeth, The Cure was the big popular band but Sisters of Mercy were the cool underground band. New Order was getting popular and because I was living in LA, I heard a lot of that stuff on KROQ.

“You’d hear everything from the Violent Femmes to the Psychedelic Furs and all sorts of different things. It just piqued my interest but I never sought out playing that music.

“When Jay sent me All the Rage it took me back to the things I liked about U2’s The Unforgettable Fire and things I liked about that dark, haunting, melancholic music that was coming out of the UK 30 years ago. This project required a very Adam Clayton-approach to the bass.”

He continues: “I think U2 are a fantastic band – just like any big group that goes out and takes chances. Years ago, everybody wanted to hate on Metallica and Lars Ulrich because he fought Napster. Well, he was right. It’s easy to hate the 800-pound gorilla because everybody sees them as entitled and privileged and they get to do what the rest of us can’t.

"But you know what? They work their asses off for it – they’re a phenomenally great band. Whether you like their recent songs or not, whether you like some of the publicity moves they make or their business acumen, I have nothing but tremendous respect for that band.”